Method and system for control of ice skate blade grinding apparatus

ABSTRACT

Computer-implemented method of operating an ice skate blade grinding apparatus, which comprises determining a number of contiguous ice skate blades inserted into the apparatus; and setting an operating parameter of the apparatus based at least in part on the determined number of contiguous ice skate blades. This allows optimized sharpening and profiling of multiple blades at a time.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation-in-part patent application that claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/988,610 filed Aug. 8, 2020, which is a continuation-in-part patent application that claims the benefit of U.S. utility patent application Ser. No. 16/854,433, filed Apr. 21 2020, which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/898,989, filed Sep. 11, 2019. All of the aforementioned applications are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD

The present application relates generally to apparatuses for sharpening and profiling multiple ice skate blades held together and, more particularly, to a method and system for control of such an apparatus based on the number of blades inserted therein.

BACKGROUND

Sharpening apparatuses for grinding or sharpening blades such as skate blades have been available for decades. However, the prior art sharpening apparatuses are often manual and require extensive skills and experience of the person doing the sharpening. This results in varying sharpening results and makes it more difficult for users of skate blades to obtain properly sharpened skate blades. There is a need for an effective sharpening method and apparatus that is easy to use while providing consistent and high-quality sharpening of skate blades, particularly when multiple blades are held together.

SUMMARY

In some embodiments, there is provided an ice skate blade grinding apparatus with an automatic blade holder that automatically senses the number of blades held in the blade holder and sets an operating parameter of an ice skate blade grinding apparatus based on the sensed number of blades.

In other embodiments, there is provided an automatic blade holder that automatically senses the number of blades held in the blade holder and horizontally shifts the blades upon completion to make sure the next time the blade holder is used, a non-worn portion of the grinding belt aligned on top of the next batch of blades to be sharpened.

Accordingly, there is provided an automatic blade holder that provides a solution to the above-outlined problems. More particularly, the blade holder has a movable plate and a fixture. A rotatable bolt is in operative engagement with a block attached to the plate. A motor is in operative engagement with the bolt. The motor rotates the bolt to move the plate towards (or away from) the fixture to grip a first set of blades until a torque threshold value is reached. The processor determines a number of blades included in the set of blades based on the number of rotations of the bolt when the torque threshold value is reached. A first grinding portion of a rotating abrasive belt is applied against the first set of blades, wherein the first set of blades has a total width W1, to sharpen the set of blades. A vise is slid sideways a distance W1 until a second grinding portion is aligned on top of the second set of blades.

The method further comprises the step of the motor automatically reducing a gripping force for a second set of blades wherein the second set of blades includes fewer blades than the first set of blades.

The method further comprises the step of sliding a slide, attached to the vise, along a rail to shift the vise relative to the belt.

The method further comprises the step of providing a linear actuator that has a rod in rotational engagement with a bolt secured to a piece in operational engagement with the slide.

The method further comprises the step of simultaneously sharpening the blades contained in the first set of blades.

The method further comprises the step of rotating the rod to shift the vise relative to the belt.

The method further comprises the step of inserting a motor shaft into the bolt.

The method further comprises the step of providing the block with an opening defined therein to threadedly engage the bolt.

The method further comprises the step of determining a gripping gap between the plate and the fixture by counting a number of rotations of the shaft.

The method further comprises the step of providing the shaft with an elongate protrusion and inserting the protrusion into a groove at an end of the bolt.

In other embodiments, there is provided an ice skate blade grinding apparatus that implements a method whereby the apparatus determines a number of contiguous ice skate blades inserted into the apparatus, and sets and/or varies an operating parameter of the apparatus based at least in part on the determined number of contiguous ice skate blades.

In yet another embodiment, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-readable instructions which, when read and executed by a processor of an ice skate grinding apparatus, cause the apparatus to carry out a method that includes determining a number of contiguous ice skate blades inserted into the apparatus; and setting an operating parameter of the apparatus based at least in part on the determined number of contiguous ice skate blades.

In a further embodiment, there is provided an ice skate grinding apparatus, comprising a holding mechanism configured to hold one or more ice skate blades under pressure; a grinding mechanism connected to the holding mechanism, the grinding mechanism configured to cause an abrasive element to move relative to, and contact under pressure, an ice-contacting surface of the blades; and a processing entity configured for controlling a set of operating parameters, the operating parameters including at least the pressure of the holding mechanism, the pressure of the grinding mechanism and relative movement of the abrasive element and the blades. The processing entity is further configured to determine the number of ice skate blades held together by the holding mechanism, and is also configured to set at least one of the operating parameters based at least on the determined number of contiguous ice skate blades held by the holding mechanism.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded side view of a portion of a blade holder in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a detailed view of the end of the smooth section of the blade holder;

FIG. 3 is an elevational side view of a portion of the blade holder in an open position;

FIG. 4 is an elevation side of the portion of the blade holder holding a plurality of blades;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the blade holder showing a shifting mechanism;

FIG. 6 is substantially similar to the view of FIG. 4 but shows the grinding belt shifted to the side to align a non-worn belt portion with the new set of blades to be sharpened;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the blade holder including an abrasive belt assembly;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the blade holder including the abrasive belt assembly shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an elevational side view of a belt grinding profiling apparatus, in accordance with another embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a detailed perspective front view of the belt grinding profiling apparatus shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is an elevational side of a tiltable vise in an open position;

FIG. 12 is an elevational side view of a first embodiment of a template;

FIG. 13 is an elevational side view of a second embodiment of a template;

FIG. 14 is an elevational side view of a third embodiment of a template;

FIG. 15 is an elevational side view of a fourth embodiment of a template;

FIG. 16 is a perspective front side view of an ice skate blade grinding machine in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment;

FIG. 17 is an elevational side view of the machine of the present invention

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of a process that can be executed by a processor of the ice skate blade grinding apparatus;

FIG. 19 shows a computing environment for the processor of the ice skate blade grinding apparatus; and

FIG. 20 is a top or bottom view of a plurality of blades showing inter-blade transitions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to FIG. 1, the blade holder 100 has a sturdy vise 102 that acts as a frame for all other components and is designed to withstand all the forces that is applied thereon. The blade holder 100 is very compact. One feature of the blade holder is that it can automatically determine how many blades are to be sharpened and how hard the blades should be clamped or held together. In other words, the blade holder 100 automatically adjusts the gripping force or torque value depending on how many blades are to be simultaneously sharpened. It can also automatically shift the entire holding mechanism so that a new non-worn portion of the sharpening belt is aligned with the next batch of blades that are to be sharpened by the belt.

The vise 102 has a hollow space 116 defined therein to receive a rotatable threaded bolt 118, as explained in detail below. The vise 102 has, at one end 104, a round opening 106 defined therein and therethrough to receive a round inset 108. The inset 108 has a round opening 110 defined therein to receive a rotatable motor shaft 112 extending from a gearbox 115 of an electric motor 114. The inset 108 prevents horizontal movement of the bearing 168 and has an outside thread 109 that is screwed into the round opening 106. The motor 114 has an encoder 117 that measures and monitors the number of rotations of the shaft 112. An upper side 120 of the vise 102 has a groove 122 defined therein to receive a wedge 124. A plate 126, having bolts 128, rests on the upper side 120 of vise 102. The bolts 128 are screwed into threaded openings 130 defined in a shiftable or movable block 132 to hold the plate 126 to the block 132. The block 130 has a round opening 134 defined therein to receive a threaded portion 136 of the bolt 118. The plate 126 may be integral with the block 132.

As explained below, by keeping track of the number of rotations of the shaft 112, it is possible to determine how much the plate 126 has been shifted horizontally relative to the fixture 154 and how big the gripping gap 119 (best shown in FIG. 3) is between an engagement surface 121 of the plate 126 and an opposite engagement surface 123 the fixture 154. It is also possible to determine the size of the gap 119 by sensing the position of the plate 126 with a position sensor without measuring the number of rotations of the shaft 112.

The bolt 118 has a flange 140 that has a diameter greater than a diameter of the threaded portion 136. One function of the flange 140 is to prevent horizontal movement of the bolt 118 during operation of the blade holder 100. The flange 140 separates the threaded portion 136 from a smooth section 142. At an end 144 of the smooth section 142, there is a threaded section 146 that has an opening 148 defined therein. The opening 148 has a cut-out 150 defined therein to receive an elongate protrusion 152 of the shaft 112 of the motor 114 to prevent the shaft 112 from rotating relative to the bolt 118 so that when the shaft 112 is rotated the bolt 118 also rotates.

The upper surface 120 also supports a fixture 154 that has bolts 156 being fixed but removably secured to the vise 102 by screwing the bolts 156 into threaded openings 158 on the upper surface 120. The fixture 154 has a groove 160 at a bottom surface 162 to receive an upper portion of the wedge 124. The block 130, with the plate 126 attached thereto, is movable or shiftable in the horizontal direction (H), by turning the bolt 118, so that blades can be captured and held between the plate 126 and the fixture 154, as described in detail below.

A covering plate 164 is attached to a second end 166 of the vise 102 to provide dust and particle protection to the vice 102. A bearing 168 is rotatably engaging the smooth section 142 of the bolt 118 that allows the bolt 118 to turn or rotate with minimum friction as rotatable or torque forces are applied to the bolt 118. The inset 108 has the function of preventing the bearing 168 from moving in the horizontal direction (H) so that the bearing 168 is captured between the inset 108 and the flange 140.

A U-shaped cover plate 170 is placed on top of the vise 102 to prevent or reduce dust and particles from moving into and through the vise 102.

A motor mounting plate 172 is mounted by bolts 174 to the end 104 of vise 102 by screwing the bolts 174 into openings 176 at the end 104. A lock-nut 178 is provided to prevent the bolt 118 from moving in the horizontal direction (H). The lock-nut 178 has a screw 180 that can be screwed against the bolt 118 to hold it in place. The motor mounting plate 172 attaches the motor 114 and gearbox 115 to the vise 102.

FIG. 3 shows the blade holder 100 in an open assembled position (with the vise 102 removed for clarity) while FIG. 4 shows the blade holder 100 in a closed position with a plurality of blades 182 held firmly between plate 126 and fixture 154. Each blade 182, such as a skate blade, is typically about 3 millimeters wide but other widths can also be used. The motor 114 rotates the shaft 112, via gearbox 115, a certain number of revolutions, which in turn, rotates the screw 118.

The blade holder 100 is connected to a computer processor 184 that runs on software. As mentioned earlier, the processor 184 keeps, among other things, track of the number of revolutions the shaft 112 has been rotated. The processor 184 also monitors the torque force required to rotate the shaft 112. While the blades 182 are loosely held between the plate 126 and the fixture 154 very little torque force of the motor 114 is required to turn the shaft 112 that is in operative engagement with the bolt 118 as the protrusion 152 engages the groove 150. The threaded portion 136 is in threaded operative engagement with the threaded opening 134 of block 132 so when the threaded portion 136 is rotated, the block 132 moves horizontally away or towards the flange 140. When a gripping side or engagement surface 121 of the plate 126 encounters and abuts the blades 182 to move the blades together the torque required to horizontally move the blades 182 increases. When all the blades 182 are in contact with one another, the torque required to further rotate the shaft 112 increases substantially to a threshold value. The processor 184 monitors the torque that is generated by the motor 114. When the torque required reaches the threshold value, the processor 184 determines the number of blades 182 that are held between the plate 126 and fixture 152 because the processor 184 has received input regarding the thickness of each blade 182 and the initial distance between the plate 126 and the fixture 154. The threshold value could be any suitable value such as 3-7 Nm. After the processor 184 has determined the number of blades 182 held by the blade holder 100, the processor 184 determine the final torque value that must be reached to firmly hold the plurality of blades 182 during the sharpening procedure of the blades. The final torque value could, for example, be 5-11 Nm but higher and lower values can also be used. The higher the number of blades held the higher the final torque value should be. By knowing the number of blades 182, the processor 184 also calculates the total width W of the set of blades 182. This width W1 wears on a first grinding section 187 of the rotating abrasive belt 186 as the rotating abrasive belt 186 grinds against the set of blades 182 to sharpen the blades. The belt 186 may have any suitable width such as 40 mm. After the sharpening of the blades 182 is complete, the processor 184, preferably, shifts the vise 102 horizontally, to a distance that is equivalent to the width W1, so that a non-worn second grinding portion 189 of the sharpening belt 186 is positioned over the next set of blades 191 that are to be sharpened, as explained below. The fact that the vise 102 can be shifted prolongs the useful life of the abrasive belt 186 and it also ensures that the belt sharpens evenly i.e. it prevents the worn section 187 to engage a portion of the blades while a non-worn section 189 engages another portion of the set of blades. Instead, the vise 102 is shifted until the non-worn portion 189 is aligned on top of the new set of blades 191 that has a width W2. Preferably, the vise 102 is only shifted between the sharpening sessions of each new set of blades. It may also be possible for the processor 184 to require a shifting of the vise 102 after a certain time period (such as 500 seconds) or after a certain number of revolutions of the motor that drives the belt 186. When the full width of the belt 186 has been used it is time to replace the belt 186 with a new non-worn belt.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view that shows the shifting mechanism on an underside of the blade holder 100. The vise 102 rests on and is attached to a slide 190 that is slidable on a linear rail 192 wherein elongate protrusions 194 of the slide 190 follow the elongate grooves 196 on the rail 192. A mounting bracket 198 is attached or secured to the slide 190. The bracket 198 is attached to angled metal piece 200 by a bolt 202. A bottom end 204 of the piece 200 is fastened to an elongate threaded piston or rod 206 by a threaded nut 208. By rotating the nut 208 the nut 208 travels along the rod 206. The rod 206 is in operative rotatable engagement with a linear actuator or electric motor 210 via a mounting bracket 212. The actuator 210 is also connected to the processor 184. The rod 206 has outside threaded portion 214 that is in operative engagement with inside thread 216 of the nut 208 so that when the rod 206 rotates the piece 200 moves away or towards the actuator 210 as the threaded rod 206 rotates inside the nut 208 that is secured to the bottom end 204. The software is programmed to know how many rotations of the rod 206 are equivalent to the width W of the blades 182 to be sharpened. Because the piece 200 is connected to the vise 102 and slide 190, horizontal movement of the piece 200 also moves the slide 190 relative to the rail 192. As mentioned above, the grinding or sharpening of a first set of blades 182 wears a portion W1 of the belt 186. Upon completion of the grinding of the first set of blades, it is possible to shift the slide 190 horizontally sideways so that a new non-worn portion 189 is aligned with a new set of blades 191, placed and firmly held between the plate 126 and the fixture 154, that are to be sharpened. In this way, it is not necessary to replace the belt 186 each time a new set of blades is to be sharpened because a non-worn portion 189 of the belt 186. In this way, the belt 186 can be used to sharpen many sets of blades until the entire width of the belt 186 is worn from grinding.

With reference to FIGS. 7-8, an elongate linear control unit assembly 300 includes an elongate control unit 302 that has a slide or rails 304 along which a contact wheel assembly 306 may slide. More particularly, underneath the linear control unit, the assembly 300 with a contact wheel is connected to the slide. The assembly 300 is fully computerized so that the processor 184 calculates and controls the movement of the various components of assembly 300 via computer programs. The assembly is very dynamic and can be used to profile and sharpen virtually any profile of the blades because the abrasive belt and the rollers are very adaptive and can follow and digitally register/record the profiles of the blades so there is no need to use physical templates.

The assembly 300 and processor 184 can thus be used to create profiling/grinding and sharpening programs based on the sensed or registered profiles by the contact wheel. It is to be understood that the ice skate blade grinding apparatus (made up of the blade holder 100 and the assembly 300) can also create virtually any profile because it is computer-driven that creates profiles based on software. In other words, the ice skate blade grinding apparatus may also be used to create virtually any profile of the blades by selecting a suitable sharpening/grinding program.

It is also possible to do test or reference runs so that the contact wheel may follow the contour or profile of the blades to be ground. In this way, the motor 308 acts as a spring when the contact wheel follows the profile of the blade assembly. This “sensing” step by the contact wheel is done without rotating the abrasive belt. In this way, the processor 184 can determine the location and profile of the blades by creating a reference program so that the processor 184 can calculate how to best grind the blades to create the desired profile. The processor 184 may be used to set different grinding pressures depending upon the number of blades that are to be ground or sharpened. The processor 184 may also adjust the speed of the sideways movement of the contact wheel depending upon how many blades are to be profiled/ground and the effect of the motor driving the abrasive belt. The motor effect and the sideways movement of the contact wheel are thus adjusted to one another to optimize the grinding along an optimized effect curve so that a constant grinding pressure can be used. When the maximum effect of the motor is required then the processor 184, preferably, lowers the speed of the sideways movement of the contact wheel as the linear control unit moves horizontally so that the most optimal grinding results are accomplished. Preferably, the blades are fixedly held by the blade holder. The contact wheel is thus the part that is moving sideways. The processor 184 may also determine how worn the abrasive belt is and the particle size on the abrasive belt based on the performance of the belt as it is used for grinding the blades. Preferably, the abrasive belt is used for creating profiles of several blades that are held together by the blade holder. As described in detail below, the actual sharpening of a blade is, preferably, done by a disc that has the desired convex grinding shape and the blades are then sharpened one by one. The blade holder places or sideways shift the blade to be sharpened over the disc that has the selected shape radius. The software may be programmed with the position of each type of disc on the spindle so that blade holder can be shifted the correct distance to be placed over the desired disc.

One feature of the assembly 300 is that it is designed to be able to control the position of the contact wheel 320 and the spindle 322 both horizontally and vertically, as explained below. The vertical and horizontal positions are determined by the angle of the positioning axle 312 that is turned by the motor 308. By using a gearbox 310 a high precision can be obtained as well as a high torque. Preferably, the contact wheel 320 is designed to follow a coordinate program to grind the bottom surface of the blades 332 that are held above the contact wheel 320. This results in a function that has virtually no limitations regarding how the skate profile of the blades can be ground. More particularly, the assembly 306 includes an electric motor 308 in operative engagement with a gearbox 310. A rotatable axle or rod 312 protrudes from the gearbox 310 through a bearing house 314. The axle 312 is rotatably attached to an end of an arm 316. The opposite end of the arm 316 is rotatably attached to an axle 318 that extends through a contact wheel 320 and an adjacent spindle 322 that has a plurality of grinding wheels 324 mounted thereon so that the contact wheel 320 rotates, the grinding wheels 324 rotate also. The construction of the spindle 322, discs 324 and the contact wheel 320 enables the discs 324 and contact wheel 320 to be moved both in a horizontal and vertical direction along a circular path because of the linear control unit 302 as well as a result of rotating the axle 312. The contact wheel 320 is thus eccentrically mounted relative to the axle 312 so that the second axle 318 is off-center or shifted away from the first axle 312. This makes it possible to move the contact wheel 320 relative to the first axle 312 so that the exact position of the wheel 320 may be adjusted in the horizontal and vertical directions along the circular path by rotating the axle 312 in a first or a second opposite direction. Preferably, the contact wheel 320 may rotate freely because of its built-in double bearing construction. The assembly 300 also has a first adjustable roller 326 and a second roller 328 so that the contact wheel 320, rollers 326, 328 may carry an abrasive belt 330. The roller 328 is in operative engagement with a motor 329 that drives the abrasive belt. Preferably, the roller 326 is adjustable to create a tension of the belt 330 and adjusts its position to horizontal and vertical movement of the contact wheel 320 in engagement with the non-elastic belt 330 when the contact wheel 320 follows the profile of the blades to be profiled or sharpened. The rotatable abrasive belt 330 may be used to grind the blades 332. The vertical movement of the contact wheel 320 and spindle 322 is fully controlled by the electric motor 308.

With reference to FIGS. 9 and 16-17, an ice skate sharpener or manual belt grinding profiling machine 400 is shown that may be used to simultaneously profile 1-6 ice skate blades, stacked next to one another. Only one blade is shown in the figures. One of the most important features of the present invention is that it is possible to copy a profile of a template to ice skating blades even though the template profile is quite complicated. The underside, profile of the template may have any suitable profile and this makes the present invention very versatile. Another important feature is the mechanism associated with the belt rollers provides adjustments of movement, belt tension and pressure in one system.

The machine 400 has a motor-driven belt 402 with three-wheel hubs 410, 412 and 414 that are in operative engagement with the rotatable belt 402. A motor 408 drives the driving wheel 410 to drive and rotate the belt 402 about hubs 412, 414. Preferably, the hubs or wheels 412, 414 are mounted on a Y-axis linear-guide rail 416, supported by hydraulic gas springs for grinding pressure, movement compensation and for maintaining a solid and consistent belt-pressure during the grinding procedure.

The machine 400 has a handle 450 that is used to lock, tighten and secure the blades 406 to be profiled or machined so that the blades 406 are firmly held in the vise 432 of the machine 400 during the grinding or profiling operation.

In order to mount the skate blades 406 into the machine 400, a tiltable vise 432 is mounted on a linear guide or rail 426 (X-axis). The vise 432 may be moved back and forth on the rail 426 in the x-direction. More particularly, the bottom of the vise 432 has a pair of rollers 452, mounted below a plate 453, that are held to the rail 426 and enable the vise 432 to slide along the rail 426. The vise 432 is tiltable relative to the plate 453 at hinges 455 to an open position to make it easier to set up and mount the blades 406. Once the blades are clamped in the vise 432, the vise 432 is tilted back to the closed position and locked in its horizontal grinding position.

The blade grinding and profiling copy system 418 is mounted in the front of the vise 432. The system 418 is adjustable in both the x- and y-directions for exact positioning of a guide roll 424 relative to an underside profile 420 of the template 404. The profile 420 has thus a profile shape or curvature as seen from the side. Preferably, the template 404 should be longer than the blades 406 so that it is only necessary for the guide roll 424 to follow a portion of the underside 420 of the template 404 in order to grind the entire underside 422 of the blade 406. During the set up, it is also determined which percentage (often between 50-75%) of the length of the template 404 is to be transferred or copied to the blade or blades 406. During the grinding operation of the blade 406, as long as the guide roll 424 does not roll on the underside profile 420 of the template 404, material is being ground of the underside 422 of the blade 406. When the guide roll 424 can roll on the profile 420 then no surface or material is ground off the blade or blades 406.

A key features of the present invention is thus the efficient profiling of the blade 406 because the shape of the underside profile 420 of the template 404 is copied to the underside 422 of the ice skate blade 406 by moving the vise 432 back and forth so that the rotatable belt 402, mounted on the rotatable rolls 410, 412, 414, grinds the underside 422 while the position of the grinding roll 414 and the grinding belt 402 are guided by guide roll 424 that, at the same time, is urged against to follow the profile of the underside profile 420 of the template 404. This is possible because the grinding roll 414 and the guide roll 424 are mounted to the same axle 444 but there is a distance (D) between the two rolls 414 and 424. The grinding roll 414 is generally wider than the guide roll 424 so that it can support a wider belt 402 to profile a plurality of blades 406 that are mounted next to one another, The idea of copying the profile of templates onto the blades means the profiles of the skate blades may be shaped into many different radiuses or shapes in a controlled fashion to suit each individual unique requirement.

When the blades 406 are mounted, the vise 432 is tilted into a forward position (best seen in Fla 11) for easy access to mount the blades 406 therein. The vise 432 is then put back into the horizontal position and the lockable adjusting bolts 433 on each side of the vise 432 are tightened,

The blades 406 are thus put into and centered in the vise 432 when the vise is in the open tilted position.

The template 404 is then mounted into the template holder 440 by tightening locking Knobs 442. Preferably, a threaded elongate portion of the knobs 442 extend through cavities or grooves 446 in the template 404 and rest at the bottom of the grooves 446. The template may be adjusted into position by turning the top knob 448. mounted on top of the vise 432, to raise or lower the template 404 relative to the blades 406 and the guide roll 424 that is fixed in the y-direction on the rail 416. In this way the template 404 is raised or lowered relative to the blades 406 in order to minimize the amount of material that must be removed from the blades 406 in order to make the underside 422 obtain the same profile as the underside profile 420 of the template 404. It is also possible to adjust the template 404 sideways (x-direction) in a limit way.

The template holder 440 and vise 432 are then moved back and forth a few times in order to set the amount of surface to be removed from the blades 406, When the template 404 is moved back and forth (without having started the motor 408), the guide roll 424 indicates, by looking at the position of the grinding roll 414 relative to the underside 422, how much surface from the blades will be removed once the motor 408 is turned on to rotate the belt 402 and the guide roll 424 follows the underside 422 of the template 404 so that the belt 402 starts grinding off material from the underside 422 of the blade or blades 406.

After the position of the template 404 is set, the grinding motor 408 is turned on to start the rotation of the grinding belt 402. The vise 432 is then moved back and forth on the rail 424 while placing the operator places his/her hand on the clamping handle 450. The back and forth movement of the vise 432 is repeated until grinding procedure is finished i.e. when no more surface is removed from the underside 422 of the blades 406 even though the vise 432 is moved back and forth while the guide roll rolls against the underside 420 of the template 404. The profile of the blade 406 is done when the guide roll can be rolled against the entire length of the template 404 without removing any additional surface or material from the blade 406. The grinding motor 408 is then stopped. The vise 432 is unlocked with the lockable adjusting bolts 433. The vise 432 is then tilted upwardly (as shown in FIG. 11), the grinding result on the blades is checked before removing the skate blades 406 from the vise 432. In order to make a complete finish of the underside profile 420 of the blades 406, a final sweep against the grinding belt 402 is often carried out without using the template. This blending step is to even out the finish of the profiled area or underside profile 422 of the blade 420.

With reference to FIG. 12, the template 404 has a front portion 470 and a back portion 472. This means the profile of the front portion 470 determines the profile of the front portion of the blade 406 and the back portion determines the profile of the back portion of the blade 406. For example, the profile 420 may a profile that is equivalent to a portion of a periphery 454 of a circle 456. In other words, the circle 456 is applied to the template 404 then cut to fit the bottom part of the template 404 so that the profile 420 is the same as the periphery 454 of the circle 456. The radius 457 of circle 456 may be very large such as 4 meter or any other suitable radius. The length of the template 404 may be about 450 millimeters or any other suitable length.

The underside profile 420 may also be a combination of profiles so that it is a combination of more than one profile. FIG. 13 shows a template 404 that has a dual radius profile as the underside profile 420. This means a right-side half 458 of the profile 420 has a profile that is equivalent to the periphery of a section of a circle 460 with a radius 462 while the left-side half 464 of the profile 420 has a profile that is equivalent to the periphery of a section of a smaller circle 466 that has a radius 468 that is smaller than the radius 462.

FIG. 14 shows a template 404 wherein the underside profile 420 consists of a combination of three difference radii i.e. a section of a circle 474 that has a periphery that corresponds to the curvature or profile in section 476, a section of a slightly smaller circle 478 that has a periphery that corresponds to the curvature in section 480 and a section of a smallest circle 482 that has a periphery that corresponds to the curvature in section 484. Preferably, the very front part 486 of the template 404 is straight and has no curvature. The transition between the various sections of different curvature is seamless. The radiuses may be pitched from the center point and make up for different percentage of the overall template,

FIG. 15 shows a template 404 wherein the curvature of the underside profile 420 is equivalent to the shape of an ellipse or conical section 488 so that the shape of the underside 490 of the ellipse 488 is the same as the shape of the profile 420. The relative position of the blade 406 to the template 404 is such that the blade 406 is centered to the template 404 but the position may be adjusted sideways when necessary.

Reference is now made to FIG. 19, which shows an operating environment for the processor 184. Specifically, the processor 184 can be part of a computing apparatus 800 integrated within the ice skate blade grinding apparatus. In addition to the processor 184, the computing apparatus 800 also comprises a memory 820, a network interface 850 and a user interface 860. These components may be interconnected by a communication bus 855. The user interface 860 may include a graphical user interface (GUI), such as a display and/or a touchscreen. The network interface 850 allows the computing apparatus 800 to communicate over a data network 870, such as the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network and/or a wireless network.

The computing apparatus 800 may also include a plurality of sensors. One example of a sensor is a rotation sensor 1010 that senses the number of rotations or angular distance covered by the shaft 112. As explained above, by keeping track of the number of rotations of the shaft 112, it is possible to determine how much the plate 126 has been shifted horizontally relative to the fixture 154 and how big the gripping gap 119 is. Another example of a sensor is the aforementioned position sensor 1020 for determining the size of the gap 119 by sensing the position of the plate 126, which avoids having to measure the number of rotations of the shaft 112. A further example of a sensor is a camera 1030 that captures optical images of the gap 119 and or the skate blades therein, possibly capturing the ice contacting surface of the skate blades visible from an underside thereof. Another example of a sensor can include a pressure sensor 1040 that is placed on the engagement surface 121 of the plate 126 or on the opposite engagement surface 123 the fixture 154. Further examples of sensors can be provided. Of course, not all sensors need be present in all embodiments.

The memory 820 may be a non-transitory memory medium that stores instructions 830 and also stores data 840. The memory medium may be, but is not limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of the memory medium includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer-readable storage medium, as used herein, does not include transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmitted through a wire.

The instructions 830 include computer-readable program instructions that define operation of the processor 184. The program instructions can be downloaded to the memory 820 from an external computer or external storage device via the network interface 850. The network interface 850, which can be embodied as a network adapter card or other network interface, can receive the program instructions over the network 870 and forward them to the memory 820 for storage and execution by the processor 810.

The program instructions may be assembler instructions, instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object-oriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the program instructions by utilizing state information to personalize the electronic circuitry, in order to carry out aspects of the present disclosure.

Execution of the program instructions by the processor 184 results in the ice skate blade grinding apparatus (e.g., 400, 100, 300) carrying out aspects of the present disclosure, such as one or more processes. The data 840 stored in the memory 820 comprises data needed to support execution of the one or more processes executed by the processor 184.

As such, the memory 820 comprises computer-readable instructions 830 which, when read and executed by the processor 184 of the ice skate blade grinding apparatus, cause the ice skate blade grinding apparatus to carry out a variety of processes.

One such process includes a parameter variation process (see FIG. 18), according to which the processor 184 determines a number of contiguous ice skate blades 182, 332 inserted into the holding mechanism 100 of the ice skate blade grinding apparatus (step 910), and then sets (and/or varies) an operating parameter of the ice skate blade grinding apparatus based at least in part on the determined number of contiguous ice skate blades (step 920).

The ice skate blades 182, 332 can be stacked against one another (contiguous) and held by the holding mechanism 100. In order to determine the number of how many blades 182, 332 are held together, various approaches may be used.

In some approaches, the camera 1030 captures at least one image of an ice-contacting surface of the blades inserted into the gap 119 of the holding mechanism 100. With reference to FIG. 20, an image 1100 is processed by the processor 184 to identify/detect inter-blade surface transitions 1110, i.e., transitions between adjacent ones of the blades 182, while looking at the ice-contacting surface of the blades. An image processing algorithm may be used for this purpose. The number of contiguous ice skate blades 182 can then be determined as one more than the number of transitions detected, i.e., if the number of detected inter-blade transitions is N, then then number of blades is N+1. For example, as seen in FIG. 20, the number of inter-blade transitions 1110 is three, and the number of blades 182 is four. In other embodiments, the camera can be positioned to view the blades from the perspective of the blade holder, i.e., from the side opposite the ice-contacting surface of the ice skate blades.

In other approaches, the user may provide input via the user interface 860. Such input may include the number of contiguous (stacked) ice skate blades, the thickness of one or more (or each) of the blades, the average thickness of each blade, the manufacturer and/or model of one or more (or each) of the blades, the type of blade (e.g., hockey or figure skating), the material (such as steel or composite, for example) and other inputs. This information allows the processor 184 to set a target value of the operating parameter.

In terms of the operating parameters that can be set (and therefore also varied) based at least in part on the number of contiguous ice skate blades determined to have been inserted into the ice skate blade grinding apparatus and/or held by the holding mechanism 100, one example of such operating parameter is the final gripping force (or torque value or clamping pressure) applied by the plate 126 and fixture 154 to the blades 182, 332. The gripping force, torque value and/or clamping pressure can be made dependent on how many blades are held together. Specifically, the processor 184 monitors the torque that is generated by the motor 114. When the torque required reaches the threshold value, the processor 184 determines the number of blades 182 that are held between the plate 126 and fixture 152 because the processor 184 has received input regarding the thickness of each blade 182 and the initial distance between the plate 126 and the fixture 154, The threshold value could be any suitable value such as 3-7 Nm, After the processor 182 has determined the number of blades 182 held by the blade holder 100, the processor 184 determine the final torque value that must be reached to firmly hold the plurality of blades 182 during the sharpening procedure of the blades. The final torque value could, for example, be 5-11 Nm but higher and lower values can also be used.

Another example of an operating parameter that can be set includes the desired pressure to be applied by the grinding mechanism 300 (e.g., via the abrasive element). Specifically, the processor 184 may be used to set different grinding pressures depending upon the number of blades that are to be ground or sharpened. This could include the pressure applied by the belt 186, 330 via the contact wheel 320. This could also include the pressure applied by any of the grinding wheels 324. A feedback loop may be created between the processor 184 and the pressure sensor 1040 (which in this embodiment would detect the pressure applied to the holding unit from underneath, in the orientation of FIG. 7) to determine how much pressure is being applied and whether this meets the desired pressure (which could be a desired minimum pressure or maximum pressure or a combination thereof). In this way the grinding pressure of an abrasive element is made dependent on the number of blades to be ground and/or on the collective thickness resulting from the presence of multiple contiguous (stacked) blades.

A further example of an operating parameter that can be set can include a feature (e.g., speed or acceleration) of the relative movement between the abrasive element and the blades 182, 332. For example, in the embodiment where the arm 316 and the abrasive element is moved along the rails 304 and the blades 182, 332 remain fixed, the motor that causes movement of the arm 316 and the abrasive element can have a speed and/or movement program (which can include but is not limited to curves of speed versus distance, speed versus time, acceleration versus position, etc. stored as part of the data 840 in the memory 820) that is governed by factors including the number of contiguous blades 182, 332, and the collective thickness of those blades. That is to say, at least one feature of the movement pattern (e.g., speed, acceleration) is different when there is only one blade compared to when there are two blades, and compared to when there are three blades, etc.

Another example of such operating parameter that can be set based on the number of stacked blades is the profile that is imparted to the blades. Multiple profiles can be held as part of the data 840 in the memory 820, and each may be associated with a different number of skate blades, so that the one associated with the determined number of blades is the one used to profile the skate blades.

As such, in some embodiments, the collective thickness of the contiguous ice skate blades (which depends on the number of ice skate blades and their individual thicknesses) can be determined/measured, and the operating parameter can be set based on the collective thickness so determined/measured. In order to determine the collective thickness, at least one image of the ice skate blades can be captured by the camera 1030 and the collective thickness can be measured from the at least one image. This image may be from the underside of the blades or even from above.

In another embodiment, the collective thickness can be determined by measuring the individual thickness of each of the ice skate blades and then adding the individual thicknesses to yield the collective thickness. In this case, to determine the individual thickness of a given one of the ice skate blades, the camera 1030 may capture at least one image of the given ice skate blade and then the processor 184 can apply an image processing algorithm to measure the thickness of the given ice skate blade from the at least one image. Alternatively, the individual thickness of a given one of the ice skate blades can be determined based on input received from a user of the apparatus via the user interface 860. Such input can specify the thickness of the given ice skate blade, or the manufacturer and model of the blade, which is associated with a thickness (e.g., in the memory 820 or obtainable over the network 870).

It should be appreciated that since the blades are held in place by the holding mechanism 100 of the ice skate blade grinding apparatus, and in the case where at least part of the holding mechanism 100 (e.g., the movable block 132) is movable along an axis (e.g., of the threaded bolt 118), determining the collective thickness of the blades could comprise logging a position of the holding mechanism along such axis, based on a reading from the position sensor 1020. Specifically, this would give an inferred measure of the size of the gap 119. Alternatively, instead of measuring the linear position of the movable block 132, the rotation sensor 1010 could measure an angular distance traveled by a knob (similar to 442) between an initial position and a final position in which the ice skate blades are clamped (possibly with a force or torque at or above a given threshold).

Thus, there has been described and illustrated an ice skate blade grinding apparatus, comprising a holding mechanism 100 configured to hold one or more ice skate blades under pressure; a grinding mechanism 300 connected to the holding mechanism 100, the grinding mechanism 300 configured to cause an abrasive element (e.g., belt 330) to move relative to, and contact under pressure, an ice-contacting surface of the blades 182, 332; and a processing entity 184 configured for controlling a set of operating parameters. The processing entity 184 is further configured to determine the number of ice skate blades 182, 332 held together by the holding mechanism 100, and is also configured to set at least one of the operating parameters based at least on the determined number of contiguous ice skate blades 182, 332 held by the holding mechanism 100. The disclosed apparatus and method allows optimized sharpening and profiling of multiple blades at a time, since the operating parameters that are optimal for a single blade are not necessarily the same for multiple blades being sharpened or profiled together.

Aspects of the present disclosure are described herein with reference to flowcharts and block diagrams of methods and apparatus (systems), according to various embodiments. It will be understood that each block of the flowcharts and block diagrams, and combinations of such blocks, can be implemented by execution of the program instructions. Namely, the program instructions, which are read and processed by the processor of the aforementioned computing apparatus, direct the processor to implement the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. It will also be noted that each block of the flowcharts and/or block diagrams, and combinations of such blocks, can also be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

The flowcharts and block diagrams illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the drawings. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present disclosure have been presented for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

It should be appreciated that throughout the specification, discussions utilizing terms such as “processing”, “computing”, “calculating”, “determining”, “analyzing” or the like, can refer to the action and/or processes of a computer or computing system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulate and/or transform data represented as physical, such as electronic, quantities into other data similarly represented as physical quantities.

As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the use of the ordinal adjectives “first”, “second”, “third”, etc., to describe a common object or step, merely indicate that different instances of like objects or steps are being referred to, and are not intended to imply that the objects or steps so described must be in a given sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking, or in any other manner.

It is noted that various individual features may be described only in the context of one embodiment. The particular choice for description herein with regard to a single embodiment is not to be taken as a limitation that the particular feature is only applicable to the embodiment in which it is described. Various features described in the context of one embodiment described herein may be equally applicable to, additive, or interchangeable with other embodiments described herein, and in various combinations, groupings or arrangements. In particular, use of a single reference numeral herein to illustrate, define, or describe a particular feature does not mean that the feature cannot be associated or equated to another feature in another drawing figure or description.

Also, when the phrase “at least one of A and B” is used, this phrase is intended to and is hereby defined as a choice of A or B or both A and B, which is similar to the phrase “and/or”. Where more than two variables are present in such a phrase, this phrase is hereby defined as including only one of the variables, any one of the variables, any combination of any of the variables, and all of the variables.

The foregoing description and accompanying drawings illustrate the principles and modes of operation of certain embodiments. However, these embodiments should not be considered limiting. Additional variations of the embodiments discussed above will be appreciated by those skilled in the art and the above-described embodiments should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that variations to those embodiments can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method of operating an ice skate blade grinding apparatus, comprising: determining a number of contiguous ice skate blades inserted into the apparatus; and setting an operating parameter of the apparatus based at least in part on the determined number of contiguous ice skate blades.
 2. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the determining comprises: capturing at least one image of an ice-contacting surface of the blades inserted into the apparatus; and processing the at least one image to identify inter-blade surface transitions, thereby to determine the number of contiguous ice skate blades as one more than the number of transitions.
 3. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the determining comprises: receiving an input from a user of the apparatus, the input specifying the number of contiguous ice skate blades.
 4. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the determining comprises: measuring a collective thickness of the ice skate blades; dividing the measured thickness by an average blade thickness, the average blade thickness being measured by digital image processing or provided by a user of the apparatus.
 5. The method defined in claim 1, wherein blades are held together by a clamping pressure applied by a holding mechanism of the apparatus, and wherein the setting comprises setting a final clamping pressure based on the determined number of contiguous ice skate blades.
 6. The method defined in claim 1, wherein blades are clamped by a clamping pressure applied by a holding mechanism of the apparatus, and wherein the setting comprises setting a final clamping pressure based on the determined number of contiguous ice skate blades and a thickness of each of the ice skate blades.
 7. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the operating parameter is a pressure applied by an abrasive element to an ice-contacting surface of the blades, and wherein the setting comprises setting said pressure based on the determined number of contiguous ice skate blades.
 8. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising consulting a non-transitory memory based on the determined number of contiguous ice skate blades to obtain a value of the operating parameter corresponding to said number of contiguous ice skate blades, an association between said number and said value being stored in said non-transitory memory.
 9. The method defined in claim 1, wherein setting the operating parameter comprises setting a position of a rotating element along a direction parallel to an axis of rotation of the rotating element.
 10. The method defined in claim 9, wherein the rotating element is a grinding wheel.
 11. The method defined in claim 9, wherein the rotating element is a contact wheel separated from an ice-contacting surface of the ice skate blades by a grinding belt.
 12. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the setting comprises determining a collective thickness of the contiguous ice skate blades and setting said operating parameter based on the collective thickness.
 13. The method defined in claim 12, wherein determining the collective thickness comprises capturing at least one image of the ice skate blades and measuring the collective thickness from the at least one image.
 14. The method defined in claim 12, wherein determining the collective thickness comprises determining an individual thickness of each of the ice skate blades and adding the individual thicknesses to yield the collective thickness.
 15. The method defined in claim 14, wherein determining the individual thickness of a given one of the ice skate blades comprises capturing at least one image of the given ice skate blade and measuring the thickness of the given ice skate blade from the at least one image.
 16. The method defined in claim 14, wherein determining the individual thickness of a given one of the ice skate blades comprises receiving input from a user of the apparatus specifying the thickness of the given ice skate blade.
 17. The method defined in claim 14, wherein determining the individual thickness of a given one of the ice skate blades comprises receiving input from a user of the apparatus specifying a manufacturer or model of the given ice skate blade.
 18. The method defined in claim 12, wherein blades are held in place by a holding mechanism of the apparatus, the holding mechanism movable along an axis, and wherein determining the collective thickness comprises logging a position of the holding mechanism along said axis.
 19. The method defined in claim 12, wherein blades are held in place by a holding mechanism of the apparatus, the holding mechanism movable along an axis by rotating a knob, and wherein determining the collective thickness comprises logging an angular distance traveled by said knob between an initial position and a final position in which the ice skate blades are clamped.
 20. The method defined in claim 12, wherein blades are held in place by a holding mechanism of the apparatus, the holding mechanism movable along an axis, and wherein determining the collective thickness comprises logging a distance traveled by the holding mechanism along said axis between an initial position and a final position in which the blades are clamped.
 21. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising: determining a desired profile of the contiguous ice skate blades; setting said operating parameter of the apparatus based additionally on the desired profile of the contiguous ice skate blades.
 22. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising operating the apparatus in accordance with the set operating parameter.
 23. The method defined in claim 1, wherein the operating parameter is a blade profile.
 24. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-readable instructions which, when read and executed by a processor of an ice skate grinding apparatus, cause the apparatus to carry out a method that includes: determining a number of contiguous ice skate blades inserted into the apparatus; and setting an operating parameter of the apparatus at least in part on the determined number of contiguous ice skate blades.
 25. An ice skate grinding apparatus, comprising: a holding mechanism configured to hold one or more ice skate blades under pressure; a grinding mechanism connected to the holding mechanism, the grinding mechanism configured to cause an abrasive element to move relative to, and contact under pressure, an ice-contacting surface of the blades; and a processing entity configured for controlling a set of operating parameters, the operating parameters including at least the pressure of the holding mechanism, the pressure of the grinding mechanism and relative movement of the abrasive element and the blades; the processing entity being further configured to determine the number of ice skate blades held together by the holding mechanism; the processing entity being further configured to set at least one of the operating parameters based at least on the determined number of contiguous ice skate blades held by the holding mechanism. 